Komi Republic

The Komi Republic is a federal subject of Russia, with Syktyvkar serving as its capital. The republic was established on 5 December 1936, becoming the Komi ASSR. Most of the settlers of the republic were gulag prisoners who were sent by the hundreds of thousands to perform forced labor in the Arctic regions of the Soviet Union. Towns sprang up around forced labor camps, and the first mine in the republic became Vorkuta. In 2010, the republic had a population of 901,189 people.